dsmax lied, deceived, abused, took advantage, exploited Nationwide
los angeles new york / los angeles ca/ san francisco / chicago, ny, pa
I guess other people have pretty much summed it up already, but let me reiterate. DS-Max is a complete joke. They lie to people get them in for an "interview." Then, when you find out it's door-to-door sales, they brain-wash you to think it's a great opportunity. I swear the whole thing is a cult, complete with forced enthusiasm and group strong-arming.
Here are the keywords for job-seekers to avoid: "recent graduate" "management opportunity" "advancement based on merit, not seniority" "sports marketing (actually selling crappy baseball tickets door-to-door) "marketing with Fortune 500 companies"
When considering employment with any "marketing firm," ask them right up front if they're DS-Max, because many of them are. If they say yes, tell 'em to get a life.
Chris
new york, New York
1 Updates & Rebuttals
alan
myrtle beach,North Carolina,
bad habit grows on you like nicotine and then you get addicted
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, November 09, 2002
I was in this group for a while. No more. Got real caught up in it. Tried to be the first there every morning and the last to leave. Changed offices. Trained alot of guys. Ran a lot of impacts and meetings. Took my crew out for food. Saw the list of the syptoms of a cult. There you go! Think about this if you are sunk into DS-max.
If you check many of these items, and particularly if you check most of them, you might consider examining the group more closely. Keep in mind that this checklist is meant to stimulate thought, not "diagnose" groups.
1. The group is focused on a living charismatic leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.
2. The group is preoccupied with bringing in new members.
3. The group is preoccupied with making money.
4. Questioning, doubt, and dissent are discouraged or even punished.
5. Mind-numbing techniques (for example: meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, debilitating work routines) are used to suppress doubts about the group or its leader(s).
6. The group's leadership dictates sometimes in great detail how members should think, act, and feel.
7. The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members (for example: the leader is considered the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a special mission to save humanity).
8. The group has a polarized, "we-they" mentality that causes conflict with the wider society.
9. The group's leader is not accountable to any authorities (as are, for example, clergy with mainstream denominations).
10. The group teaches or implies that its supposedly exalted ends justify means (for example: collecting money for bogus charities) that members would have considered unethical before joining.
11. The group's leadership induces guilt feelings in members in order to
control them.
12. Members' subservience to the group causes them to cut ties with
family, friends, and personal pre-group goals and interests.
13. Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group.
14. Members are encouraged or required to live and/or socialize only w
ith other group members.
I believe that the group I was in fits many of the above criteria.
Number 1 can apply to a) emulating the owner and b) adoration of VP's and success stories in atmosphere and gatherings.
#2 ANY way possible they try and recruit. You are praised big time if you personally recruit - but to advertise in papers - you can only tell an applicant half truths to get them to try the business out.
#3 Definately!
#4 Yes! Especially if you influence others to dissent!
#5 Each office has at least 5 chants.
#6 It starts with them preaching about attitude. To make money, you act like your trainer and pitch and get sales. Problem is - if you are modeling someone - you take on the good and bad charicteristics.
#7 Yes! They are rhinos out for financial indepedence doing the things no one wants to do so that they can be filthy rich and have great lives.
#8 Yes! Cows are ofdinary people that get fired and layed off. Rhinos have contempt for them.
#9 True!
#10 Going door to door. Signing up people for things that are not necessarily to their benefit. I could go on...
#11 All the nagging I got if I did not work Saturdays, didn't extra mile, didn't want to train everyday, didn't want to be the last to leave...
#12 Yes. All or nothing. Break ties with all who might want you to quit.
#13 Yes. Work 6 days a week. spend Sunday chatting with your crew to keep them in the business. Arrive early in the morning to open up. Wait forever for atmosphere and meetings to start. Work like a dog door to door 10 hours. Come back, settle the new people up first. Clean and close the office. (Even though you might not have made any money that day). Who has time to cook dinner?
#14 Partial. Your not required to live with each other - though it usually works out that way. You only want to be socializing with positive attitude people. So if someone in the group is negative - you don't want to socialize with that person.
GLAD I AM OUT!